Fan Rant: Why 'Across the Sea' May be the Worst Episode of 'Lost'

(WARNING. This piece will spoil the most recent episode of Lost, titled "Across the Sea." If you haven't watched it yet, I recommend you suffer through it before you continue reading.)

Is it okay to become emotionally invested in a TV series? Is it normal to let a single hour of weekly television be one of the highlights of your week? When does fandom become obsession? How far is too far?

Your answer to those questions may very well gauge your response to last night's episode of Lost, the second-to-last normal episode before the massive, two-part series finale. This was a big one: a flashback episode detailing the origins and motivations of Jacob and the Man in Black, the two supernatural entities whose centuries-long war with each other set the entire series in motion in the first place. A number of questions were promised to be answered, like:

-What exactly is Jacob's job?

-How did the Man in Black become the Smoke Monster?

-What is the Smoke Monster?

-How is Jacob immortal?

-Where did the time traveling frozen donkey wheel come from?

-And most importantly, what are the exact motivations of the Man in Black?